Five years ago, Underwood lost a portion of his right index finger while using a wood splitter.

“Anybody that loses part of their body goes through a certain amount of depression,” said Underwood, who owns Robinsons Hardware in Framingham. “It definitely disrupted me.”

Underwood knows that a product sold in his store can also remove a finger, or hand, if one isn’t careful. That item is a snowblower, and Underwood was busy Monday helping customers with questions about the machines for sale in his store. They’re in demand after the first snowstorm of the season hit MetroWest on Sunday and continued into Monday. More snow was forecast into Tuesday morning.

Many mishaps are caused by sticking a hand inside the blower’s chute to remove a clog caused by ice or debris.

“Never stick anything in the machine unless you don’t mind losing it,” Underwood said. Many new models come with what Underwood called a “detriment stick,” a hard plastic stick for clog removal.

Rod Edwards, 79, of Framingham, used a piece of an old curtain rod Monday afternoon to unclog heavy, wet snow in his snowblower while he worked on the base of the driveway at his home on Elm Street.

Edwards’ snowblower is roughly 20 years old, and thanks to his curtain rod, he’s never had an accident.

“I’m pretty careful, at least I hope so,” Edwards said.

Accidents can happen after the power is turned off, when users think that it’s fine to put a hand inside to remove a clog.

One problem, Underwood said, is the impeller. It’s a metal, spinning blade that pushes snow with tremendous force through the chute. Even when the power is turned off, tension built up in the impeller can cause it to immediately spin rapidly after a clog is removed by hand. The outcome could be lost fingers, or a hand.

Michael Frederick of Framingham shopped for a snowblower Monday at Robinsons Hardware.

He believes all it takes is a little common sense to stay safe.

“It will get you out of most of your problems,” Frederick said.

Like Edwards, Frederick has used the same blower for two decades, and he makes sure nothing can go wrong when it’s time to remove a clog. He unhooks the spark plugs, and then douses a clog with boiling water to melt ice or snow.

Frederick offered another safety tip – read the owner’s manual, which he said many people don’t bother to do.

The town of Natick uses a variety of snowblowers to keep the streets and sidewalks clear, said Jeremy Marsette, director of public works.

In the five years Marsette has run the department, he reports no accidents from blowers. He attributes that to routine machine maintenance and safety manuals given to every employee.

Milford doesn't use the smaller type of snowblowers popular with homeowners, said Scott Crisafulli, the town’s highway surveyor.

The blower Milford relies on to keep its streets clear is “big enough to eat a car," said Crisafulli.

Like many homeowners, Crisafulli uses a standard-size blower at his home, and acknowledged he sometimes sticks his hand inside to remove a clog.

“We all do dumb stuff,” Crisafulli said.

As he took a break from answering customers' questions, Underwood emphasized one should never think they can use a finger to remove a clog in a snowblower. Power it down first, and then use extreme caution when removing an obstruction.

“Use something to remove the clog you don’t mind being snipped by a blade,” Underwood said.

Henry Schwan is the health reporter for the Daily News. Follow Henry on Twitter @henrymetrowest. He can be reached at hschwan@wickedlocal.com or 508-626-3964.